Stamas' reapportionment bill to get hearing

Midland Republican Sen. Tony Stamas wants only the official count of U.S. citizens - not illegal residents - to be considered when the number of seats each state has in Congress is decided.

So he introduced a joint resolution that would ratify that constitutional amendment if Congress approves the change.

He told a local audience Friday his resolution is supposed to get a hearing in Lansing on Monday.

Michigan's number of U.S. House members has declined while some other states have seen increases. Counting illegal residents is part of the reason, Stamas told almost 170 people at a state legislative luncheon Friday at Valley Plaza's Great Hall.

"Residents who cannot vote should not be counted in census surveys that affect congressional representation," Stamas said earlier in a prepared statement. "Only legal citizens should be counted. Otherwise, it's unfair to legal citizens to have their congressional representation and voices diluted by states with a large number of illegal residents."

U.S. Rep. Candice Miller - former Michigan secretary of state - has proposed the U.S. constitutional amendment.

Two-thirds of the U.S. House and two-thirds of the Senate would have to approve the constitutional amendment before it would be sent to the states for ratification.

Democrat Jim Barcia of Bay City is among the 11 other senators sponsoring Stamas' proposal, called Senate Joint Resolution K.

It was referred to the Senate Committee on Joint Operations on Thursday.